Enantioselective uptake and translocation of atenolol in higher plants

PODIO, NATALIA S.; SUN, CHENGLIANG; DUDLEY, STACIA; GAN, JAY

THE SCIENCE OF TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

Elsevier B.V.

Año: 2023 vol. 904

0048-9697

he presence of pharmaceuticals in surface water and wastewater has been an increasing area of research since they can represent a possible route for human exposure when these waters are used to irrigate crops. The concentration of these drugs in crops depends on their uptake and translocation within plants. A less recognized question is that over 50 % of pharmaceuticals are chiral compounds, but there is little knowledge about their enantioselectivity in plants. In this study, we evaluated the uptake, bioconcentration, and translocation of enantiomers of atenolol, a commonly used beta-blocker, in Arabidopsis thaliana cells and Lactuca sativa plants under hydroponic conditions. Atenolol was taken up by Arabidopsis thaliana cells during 120 h of exposure to solutions with 1 mg/L of R/S-(±)-atenolol. A moderate preference for R-(+)-atenolol over S-(−)-atenolol was observed, with the enantiomeric fraction (EF) reaching 0.532 ± 0.002 for the R enantiomer. Atenolol was also taken up a